The Saga of Colin Campbell

What happens if there is an error in an original source document? When Colin CAMPBELL and Margaret MIDDLEMISS married[1], Colin’s father was listed as Peter CAMPBELL and his mother was listed as Elizabeth CAMPBELL M.S. DUNCAN.

A descendant of his[2] gave his mother’s maiden name as ANDERSON which raises two questions:

Could there be another Colin CAMPBELL married to another Margaret MIDDLEMISS?

Could the information in the Marriage Register is a mistake?

First, I checked ScotlandsPeople for his parents’ marriage (Peter CAMPBELL and Elizabeth DUNCAN) between 1876 and 1896 which is ten years either side of Colin’s estimated birth year (20 when married in 1916). This returned no records. This doesn’t rule out the possibility that Colin was illegitimate.

Second, I searched for Colin’s birth record between 1895 and 1897 and restricted it to the County of Lanark where they were married because CAMPBELL is a common name. This returned seven index records, but I had no way to differentiate between them.

Next, I searched for a Census record. The nearest available Census date was 1911 so I searched for Colin CAMPBELL aged between 13 and 15, restricted again to Lanark. It returned a single record[3]: in the district of Milton at 17 Grove Street, Glasgow, that showed a Peter CAMPBELL aged 47, and his wife Eliza aged 46, with children Elizabeth 20, Walter 17, Colin 14, and Alexander 5; all were born in Lanarkshire. This is the same street where he lived when he was married six years later, and I have researched enough of my Glasgow ancestors to know that it was common for families to frequently move and often only a few doors along the street. This could be the same Colin CAMPBELL, father Peter and mother Elizabeth.

I returned to the birth records where two of the seven were in Milton, but one had a middle name and Colin did not, so I chose to purchase that record. This was Colin CAMPBELL[4], born 16 November 1896, father Peter CAMPBELL, mother Elizabeth CAMPBELL maiden surname ANDERSON.

Jean’s father was Peter CAMPBELL, son of Colin CAMPBELL and Elizabeth ANDERSON. I am still not convinced that these two families actually the same people. CAMPBELL is a very common Scottish name, so is Elizabeth and Peter, and Glasgow in 1896 was very densely populated, there could still be two Colin CAMPBELL’s with a father called Peter, a mother called Elizabeth, and a son called Peter.

So, I have not yet answered either of the two questions. My next step is to research Peter to see if he provides any clues.

Share this:

Like this:

Related

Published by George n Gina

Who am I? I am different things to different people. I am a poet, a visual artist, a sculptor of found objects, and a writer. I am a bookkeeper, an office manager, an administrator and software support consultant, even a short-order cook and barista. I am a mother, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a cousin and a friend. I am a traveller, a technophile, a philosopher and a student of all things.
View all posts by George n Gina